Pierre-Joseph Redouté Les Liliacées Amaryllis brasiliensis Engraving C.1805

Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759–1840) Amaryllis brasiliensis, Original Plate 469 from Les Liliacées, Stipple Engraving with Original Hand Colouring, C.1805

A fine and fresh example of one of the most celebrated botanical print series ever produced: plate 469, Amaryllis brasiliensis (Amaryllis bresilienne), from Pierre-Joseph Redouté's monumental Les Liliacées, published in Paris in eight folio volumes between 1805 and 1816. The composition depicts the Brazilian amaryllis, now classified as Hippeastrum equestre in full bloom: two open flowers in warm apricot-pink with finely engraved petal striations and characteristic bluish-grey stems, flanked by a closed bud, rising from a clump of arching strap leaves.

The colour, applied by hand in watercolour over the stipple-engraved base, retains exceptional freshness, with the peachy salmon of the petals and the cool grey-green of the foliage showing virtually no fading. The plate margin carries the standard publication inscriptions: Amaryllis brasiliensis (lower left) / Amaryllis bresilienne (lower centre), with P.J. Redouté pinx. lower left and Bessin sculp. lower right, identifying the engraver as Bessin, one of the principal studio engravers employed on the series.

Redouté worked under the direct patronage of Empress Joséphine at Malmaison, and Les Liliacées, his largest undertaking remains the supreme achievement of the French Empire school of botanical illustration.

Presented in a period gilt frame with a sage-green linen mount and gilt fillet slip. Glazed.

Framed dimensions H 66.5 cm × W 50 cm
Print dimensions H 50 cm x W 34 cm

Condition: Good overall; colour fresh with no significant fading. Some light foxing present, typical for paper of this period and age. No tears, losses, or significant surface damage noted. Some notable wear to the gilt frame.